Southwest ads on target
Charming spot with baggage handler 'Paul' shows simple, direct works best
Most airlines have been busy much of the last year slashing capacity in response to a sharp downturn in air travel. Low-fare behemoth Southwest Airlines has cut flights, too. But several months ago, Southwest apparently decided it was time to stand up and take a leadership role within the beaten-down aviation industry.
So Southwest introduced a massive advertising campaign from its longtime ad agency GSD&M Idea City in Austin, Texas, that was designed to encourage everyone to help turn around the economy (and the airline business) by getting back on planes and going somewhere -- be it for leisure or for business purposes.
Given that Southwest is an extraordinarily aggressive advertiser in comparison with most domestic carriers, just about everyone in the country probably has seen one or more iterations of the ubiquitous "Grab Your Bag, It's On" campaign, which aims both to get people flying again and remind travelers why they should choose Southwest when they do buy a ticket. Already Southwest has debuted more than 35 TV commercials tied to the "It's On" theme, and more commercials will roll out in the weeks to come -- which suggests the campaign is doing what Southwest management hoped it would.
Some of the commercials in the campaign use actual Southwest employees, which, of course, is good for company morale. But such an approach also makes the commercials more convincing because the "actors" actually have a vested interest in promoting the airline for which they work.
One spot in particular called "Paul" has charmed more than a few viewers. It features a Southwest baggage handler named Paul, who is based in Austin, Texas. In the spot, a smiling Paul is seen pulling several carts of baggage around the tarmac at the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport as a voiceover announcer talks about how other airlines make passengers' poor, put-upon bags travel in the dark in the bottom of the plane with not even any peanuts (Southwest's iconic on-board snack).
And, as the voiceover announcer takes pains to point out, the worst part is other airlines charge as much as $20 for the first bag and $30 for a second bag to endure such harsh treatment, while at Southwest, bags fly free. The spot concludes with Paul repeating the campaign tag line with an appealing twang in his voice.
David Crawford, a managing group creative director at GSD&M Idea City, said the "Paul" commercial actually came about spontaneously. "There was no script," said Crawford, adding "we just filmed Paul as he rode around with the baggage for 20 minutes or so."
And Crawford said Paul didn't require any coaching to achieve that special reading of "Grab Your Bag, It's On." "Most Southwest employees have a little attitude, and I think some of that was there in Paul's delivery," said Crawford. Indeed.
But "Paul" -- and the uncomplicated, unscripted way the commercial came about -- is a reminder that simple and direct, more often than not, works best in advertising.